Reasons to love a Disney Moderate Resort

Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, and Port Orleans are Disney’s moderate resorts and there is plenty to love about them.

A lot of our readers and people in general will find themselves gravitating to the moderate tier of resorts. In general, they have more space than a standard value room. While they are smaller than a standard deluxe room, they will cost significantly less than the deluxe room. They are perfect for guests who don’t want to stay at a value resort but don’t want the cost of staying at a deluxe resort. So, what is there to love about them.

1) Great Theming

Disney goes all out, in general, when it comes to theming but it can really be seen in the moderate resorts. Disney makes an effort to transport the guest into the region of the world that the resort is supposed to be themed.

Caribbean Beach Lobby

The lobby theming is right out of tropical islands in the Atlantic with high ceilings and plenty of ceiling fans to dissipate the heat to make up for the lack of air conditioning (don’t worry – the resort is air-conditioned).

The theming continues in the hotel rooms as well.

Standard Room Port Orleans

The rooms and buildings, like this one from Port Orleans, gives you the impression of being in the Old South from the 19th century.

Port Orleans Riverside room

And to the pools as well:

Caribbean Beach PoolCaribbean Beach PoolThe Dig Site Pool

2) Sit-Down Restaurants

None of the value resorts have sit-down/table service restaurants. But all the moderate resorts have a sit-down/table service restaurant. These restaurants aren’t as well know as the deluxe resort restaurants so they tend to be less crowded. These restaurants also don’t have a character meals. This can be viewed as a both a positive and negative. On the positive side, guests don’t have worry about the noise and large numbers of excited children as they wait to meet their favorite character while eating. On the negative side, there are no characters. If a guest wants a character meal, they have to go to a park or another resort to have that character meal.

The other nice thing about these restaurants is they are reasonably priced which is a good thing if a guest is not on the Disney Dining Plan and are paying for meals out-of-pocket. Guests will be hard pressed to find an entree for over $30. The deluxe resorts can be a little more “high-end” with a majority of the entrees over $30 and closer to the $40 to $45 range.

3) Some Port Orleans rooms sleep five people

Port Orleans can sleep five people which is a major plus for larger families. These rooms can keep the whole family together and have some breathing room instead of cramming into a standard value room or potentially splitting into two value rooms. How does Disney do this? With a pull-down Murphy Bed

Murphy Bed ClosedMurphy Bed Open

All of these five-person rooms are located in the Alligator Bayou section of the resort which is the top center section of the map.

Port Orleans Map

4) Boat Access to Downtown Disney from Port Orleans

Port Orleans is the only moderate resort that has something other than bus access to another major Disney destination, in this case, Downtown Disney. There is a boat from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney which is the process of a major revitalization and renamed Disney Springs. Downtown Disney/Disney Springs is an area filled with entertainment, movie theater, and restaurants.

5) Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resorts

Disney refurbished some of the rooms at the Caribbean Beach resort back in 2009. In the process, they re-themed them into Pirate-themed rooms. These rooms can be found in the Trinidad South section of the resort.

Caribbean Beach Map

Now, these rooms will cost a bit more than the standard room at Caribbean Beach. A standard view standard room at Caribbean Beach starts at $170/nt while the standard view Pirate-themed room start at $227/nt. Keep in mind, you are paying for the upgraded theming of the room.

I am collaborating with a friend of mine, Kim Jordan, who is a travel agent with Magic of Mickey Travel. If you ever need a person to help you plan your Disney vacation, she is an excellent resource and would be more than welcome help you plan the vacation. Her contact information can be found on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KimJordanMagicOfMickeyTravel

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3 thoughts on “Reasons to love a Disney Moderate Resort”

I really only remember one resort at which I’ve stayed and that was Port Orleans Riverside in Alligator Bayou. Man! was it fantastic! I felt really comfortable just walking around, hanging out, and enjoying all of the sights and sounds. Very relaxing.

All of these moderate resorts were built after I stopped going as a kid but before I started going as an adult. I’ve never stayed at one, myself, but know plenty of people who have and they love them for that very reason.